Victories & Good News Roundup: Blue Wave Edition

Nov 19, 2018

Artwork by Toni Truesdale, a Maine artist and member of Suit Up Maine.

How about those election results? Democrats flipped the U.S. House of Representatives and broke Republican strangleholds at the all-important state level, where redistricting decisions are made, not to mention countless laws that affect everyday life. These state and national Blue Wave wins are due in large part to the efforts of thousands of citizen activists who ran for office, worked on campaigns, educated voters, knocked on doors, made phone calls, sent postcards, and many other actions to get out the vote for candidates who support a progressive agenda. So pat yourself on the back and settle in for a good read. This wouldn’t have been possible without your hard work!

Ours is one of 7 states in which Democrats achieved a trifecta, winning control of the governorship and both legislative houses. Governor-elect Janet Mills, the first woman elected to this office in Maine, will benefit from a recapturedDemocratic majority in the Senate and a wider majority in the House. The seven new trifecta states bring to 13 the number of states fully under Democratic governance. The GOP has 21. All hail to all those who canvassed, talked to neighbors, wrote letters to the editor or postcards or letters, donated, or worked on a campaign.

Also due to that hard work, at the federal level, Senator Angus King (I) and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D) cruised to re-election, and Jared Golden toppled Bruce Poliquin for Maine’s CD2 US House seat—the first time anyone has beaten an incumbent in this district in over a century, and the nation’s first use of instant run-off voting (ranked choice) for a federal office. Among the reasons voters rejected Poliquin were his party-line votes torepeal the Affordable Care Act and enactbig tax cuts for the richest Americans.

Jared Golden wasn’t the only candidate to make history. Several state and county Democratic candidates also made headlines in their races. Chloe Maxmin of Nobleboro became the first Democrat to ever win Maine House District 88 and Natasha Irving of Waldoboro became the first woman and the first Democrat ever elected to district attorney in the state, defeating an incumbent for DA for District 6 (Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox, and Waldo counties).

Governor-elect Janet Mills appeared in court the day after the election at a proceeding related to the court battles underway to get Governor LePage to follow the law and implement Medicaid expansion. Mills stated that she would enact Medicaid expansion as soon as she takes office. About 70,000 low-income Mainers will soon have access to medical care due to Medicaid expansion, and this will create jobs, too. Elections matter.

Maine voters approved four bond issues totaling $200 million for wastewater and transportation infrastructure and construction and upgrades to campuses in the University of Maine system and the state’s seven community colleges.

In national Blue Wave news…

In case you were (understandably) so excited by Maine’s results that you missed what happened in the rest of the country…

Since Democrats will now control what goes to the floor, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that there will beno further scares about ending the Affordable Care Act, or slashing social security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, scientific research, or environment-related funding. (In short, millions of Americans will sleep better now.)

Oregon voters resoundingly rejected a ballot measure proposed by hate groups that would have repealed a 1987 law prohibiting the state from using any public resources to find and detain undocumented immigrants not suspected of any crime.

After successful challenges to incumbents in Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Colorado, 27 of the nation’s Attorneys General are now Democrats. The AGs have been on the front lines of the resistance to DJ’s agenda because they can sue him for overreach that violates states’ rights or for measures that harm their states.

A number of progressive candidates striving for criminal justice reform wereelected as District Attorneys, including in Maine, Texas and Massachusetts.

At least 27 people newly elected to state and federal office have STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) backgrounds. Along with some incumbents, they were endorsed by314 Action, a group that strives to be “the Emily’s List for scientists.”

Historically conservative Orange County, California, where a Democratic presidential candidate has not won since 1936, has flipped totally blue (all 6 House seats). And the candidates won bycampaigning on a progressive message. This was the most Republican large county in the country, sometimes referred to as the “cradle of conservatism.”

One of the Orange County Republicans to lose his seat was Dana Rohrabacher, Putin’s favorite congressman, who also believes climate change is a joke.

Suit Up Maine is a statewide, all-volunteer, progressive, grassroots group of more than 5,400 Mainers that seeks to create and foster a more informed and engaged electorate. We raise awareness of and advocate for policies and legislation that promote equity and equality in civil rights, social justice, health care, the environment, education, the economy, and other areas that affect the lives of all people. We are beholden to issues and action, not parties or politicians, and we aren’t engaged in fundraising. Suit Up Maine fosters collaboration among our state’s progressive groups and organizations to collectively connect, educate, and motivate Mainers to rise in non-violent resistance to a regressive agenda.